Simple Genius

Chapter 60

When Sean and Michelle met later he said, “I didn’t get a chance to search for a secret room earlier, you want to give it another shot together?”

A few minutes later they were in the main hall of the mansion. Waiting for it to clear out, they started making their rounds. They had cleared about a dozen rooms and had just finished with the library, when a voice startled them as they came out.

“You’re not doing it the right way.”

They turned and stared at Viggie, who was wearing a very superior look while perched on an ornate couch sitting against one wall in the main hall.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” Michelle asked.

“I’m sick.”

“You don’t look sick.”

“I already finished all the work, including my homework. And I saw you snooping around.”

“We’re not snooping around,” Sean objected.

“You’re looking for that secret room you asked me about, but you’re not doing it right.”

“Okay, how would you do it?” Sean shot back.

In response Viggie held up several sheets of paper covered with numbers and equations. “I’ve already worked it out. Right after you asked me about it I spent a bunch of time measuring every exterior and interior dimension of the house and compared it with the actual physical configuration.”

“You did?” Sean said, stunned. “You’re only eleven.”

Viggie ignored this. “And I came up with a very interesting discovery.”

“What was it?” Michelle said.

“There’s a twelve-by-twelve-foot square unaccounted for.” She showed them the paperwork, which was too complicated for either Michelle or Sean to follow.

“Okay, little Miss Einstein,” Sean said. “Where is it?”

“Third floor, west corridor, next to the last bedroom on the right.”

Sean thought about this. “That’s right next to the bedroom I was staying in.”

Viggie put her hands on her hips and gave him a penetrating look. “Gee, you think you would have noticed then, Mister Einstein.”

Sean headed up the stairs. Michelle and Viggie quickly followed.

A minute later they were standing on the third floor staring at what appeared to be a blank wall.

“Keep an eye out,” Sean said, giving the hallway a searching look. He began probing the wall with his fingers, trying to find a gap in the wood or a hidden latch like at the other mansion. Ten minutes later he gave up. “I can’t find anything, want to give it a try?” he asked Michelle.

After another ten minutes she said, “Nothing.”

“Viggie, are you sure this was the spot?” Sean asked.

“Absolutely,” she said tersely.

“Well, then either it’s just wasted space and there’s no secret room or there’s another way to open the door.”

“Sean, you said this is next to your old bedroom?” Michelle said. “Let’s try from in there.”

“Right!” He led them into the bedroom and started tapping on the wall. “Sounds hollow,” he said. He probed the wall for a lever of some kind but found nothing. They went to the room on the other side of the blank space, but the door was dead-bolted.

“Okay, what now? You can’t exactly cut a hole in the wall without anyone noticing,” Michelle said. “And so what if it’s a secret room. It’s probably empty like the one in that old house.”

“Michelle, we talked about this. If Rivest was right and there are spies here, they could be using that room for some reason.”

“Spies!” Viggie exclaimed.

“Keep that to yourself,” Sean warned.

“And what would spies be using this room for?” Michelle asked.

“If I knew that I wouldn’t be trying to get in there,” Sean snapped.

“Well, it doesn’t look like we’re going to be able to do that right now.”

She turned to Viggie. “Thanks for your help. There’s no way Sean and I could have figured this out.”

Viggie beamed at her.